While I agree many remakes fail, without continuance of them Batman fans would have been left with this as their last movie:

....instead of this:

You know, I've had a while to think about the whole thing, and I've figured out what it is that really bothers me. Many of you point out (and rightly so) that the Cinematic and Comic universes of pretty well all superheroes are very similar to what is going on here, with the movie element picking what it likes from the comics and making its own movie. People enjoy the movie, people still read and enjoy the comics, and everyone is happy.

If this was what happened with Star Wars I would be fine. If they said' "The movies and TV shows are one universe, and the books, comics, and games are another (unless explicitly stated otherwise)," I could live with that. I would go to the movies, enjoy them for what they are, and still have a continuing story about that Star Wars I care about to go back and read. However, this is NOT what they did. They have ceased production of anything new from the Legends (EU). All of the upcoming novels have been cancelled. Instead of separating the two and letting them coexist, they are making all future books in THEIR universe. Despite what Dante said, by canceling all of the upcoming EU books they have made their position quite clear: there will only be the Disney universe from this point onward. All of you who enjoyed the EU and wanted more, well, tough.

That is what disappoints me. Hopefully I am wrong and they do continue making the Legends series. More importantly, if they do so, I hope they put the same effort to ensure a contiguous storyline as they will for whatever Disney does in the future.

It's all THEIR universe. They own it. It doesn't belong to anyone else, legally, or for that matter creatively.

where Grand Moff Tarkin got his favorite pair of socks... or whether or not he HAD a favorite pair of socks.

Actually, you'll find that the Grand Moff Tarkin preferred slippers . . . .

OHH EMM GEE!!!

But, again, Star Wars doesn't need to impress us fringe rabid fans. How many on this forum aren't going to see Episode VII in theaters even if the previews say it is crap? It's the common joe that needs to be impressed to go to the theater and not wait for Netflix or a DVD, not us. For example, Lynata has large doubts about the quality, but she (?) even stated she would be seeing the next flick in a theater.

Imagine if Episode VII turned out to be made just for the extreme fans like us. It was perfect somehow. We loved it. I think that could possibly translate into not being the perfect match for joe public. Ticket sales for Episode VIII plummet and Episode IX loses half of its funding and thus is very poor or not made at all? I don't think that would ever happen, but Disney is probably considering it. I think Disney is considered concerned about the 99% and not the 1%ers (fans I'm talking about).

Doctor Who learned that lesson well - when you start writing for the fans, you lose the general audience. Now arguably, there were other issues with 80's Who (like the Controller of BBC 1 actively gunning for the show), but matters were not helped by stories where you needed to have seen an episode 20 years previous (occasionally an episode 20 years previous that didn't even exist!) to understand the backstory.

If you need an encyclopedia next to you as the story unfolds, you've done something wrong.

Just a couple points to clear things up...

1) Filoni (the whole Clone Wars team, really) wasn't constrained by the EU. TCW overwrote the EU when it served their purposes, again putting G-Canon over C-Canon. Like with the death of Adi Gallia. And the planet Dathomir, and the function and purpose of lightsaber crystals. I could go on

2) JJ Abrams is a huge Star Wars fan. Not sure where the misconception that he wasn't a fan came from.

And then a couple points to try and explain my feelings on the matter, leaving philosophy and debate aside

3) what really sold me behind the EU-to-Legends move was the people behind it: Pablo Hidalgo and Leland Chee, in chief. If these guys (the author of "The Essential Reader's Guide" to the Expanded Universe and the "Holocron Keeper"/Star Wars Continuity Loremaster) are cool with it, then who am I to throw a shoe? Plus they are on the story team, and have massive input on what happens next in Star Wars! I expect great things in the ensuing years of Star Wars story telling.

4) again on a personal note, I also didn't like having a massive structure of EU material (C-Canon) that could, at any point, be altered by the creation of something else of a superseding canonical level. I am much more comfortable now in my nerd knowledge base of Star Wars, knowing that we have a committee dedicated to not only to safeguarding, but also preserving, the continuity of the Star Wars canon as a whole.

I get that some EU fans feel that the EU is left for dead/unsupported. I also read that some felt it was bloated and decaying. I am somewhere in the middle: I love me lots of the EU, and I might be sad if the Solo twins were never born when Episode VII rolls around, but to be honest I am eagerly looking forward to all the new stuff (films, books, TV serials, etc). It is being put out by very talented people in whom I have lots confidence (e.g. Filoni, Luceno, Abrams), and all of whom love Star Wars as a universe and as a story. AND all this new stuff will all have the official LucasFilm Story Group approval, meaning that (barring an entire series reboot) the story won't be subject to change anymore!! Filmmakers and book-writers working together to tell stories, imagine that

You know, I've had a while to think about the whole thing, and I've figured out what it is that really bothers me. Many of you point out (and rightly so) that the Cinematic and Comic universes of pretty well all superheroes are very similar to what is going on here, with the movie element picking what it likes from the comics and making its own movie. People enjoy the movie, people still read and enjoy the comics, and everyone is happy.

If this was what happened with Star Wars I would be fine. If they said' "The movies and TV shows are one universe, and the books, comics, and games are another (unless explicitly stated otherwise)," I could live with that. I would go to the movies, enjoy them for what they are, and still have a continuing story about that Star Wars I care about to go back and read. However, this is NOT what they did. They have ceased production of anything new from the Legends (EU). All of the upcoming novels have been cancelled. Instead of separating the two and letting them coexist, they are making all future books in THEIR universe. Despite what Dante said, by canceling all of the upcoming EU books they have made their position quite clear: there will only be the Disney universe from this point onward. All of you who enjoyed the EU and wanted more, well, tough.

That is what disappoints me. Hopefully I am wrong and they do continue making the Legends series. More importantly, if they do so, I hope they put the same effort to ensure a contiguous storyline as they will for whatever Disney does in the future.

It's all THEIR universe. They own it. It doesn't belong to anyone else, legally, or for that matter creatively.

That last part is what still bothers me about the whole deal. Say what you will about Lucas but he did give us this creation and continued to feed his imagination into it over these past many years. When I heard about the sale I saw it as Lucas saying a big "F you!" to all the fans who hate on him so much that they have to make a documentary movie about their hate! I imagined Lucas saying, fine if they don't like what I did with Star Wars lets see how they like others "*******" it up.

Don't get me wrong, I am hopeful that these movies will be great and continue to inspire. But don't forget that it was Lucas and Star Wars that changed the world. That influence is incredibly hard to follow up. Will JJ's films be world changing? Who can say. But there is also the part of me that just salivates at the thought of MAWR STAR WARS!!!

Now to go play SWtOR!!!

And you wonder why you rile people up? This is just being obtuse for dramatic effect. Overly dramatic effect I might add.

I was never the highest canon to begin with and as far as I can tell they will mine the rich content of the EU and give a place to some of the good that came out of it. Also, many books, a new series, numerous films and new comics have been announced so I would hardly call that "left to wither and die" and I especially wouldn't add the absurd notion that they would leave their fans "to wither and die" as you just did.

I think the only one I "riled up" here is you, given the length of your replies and the emotional investment you seem to have in this debate. I can only stress the point that you apparently just keep on overlooking - that there is a whole lot of unfinished business, so to say, that will now remain unfinished.

Also, context. Of course Disney doesn't leave the fans to die. But the fans are humans, and thus have a finite lifespan. Without new publications and care, without official recognition by the IP, the Expanded Universe will, over the years, disappear together with the people that grew up with it. Maybe this is what they're banking on and this was simply the most convenient "way out".

The eventual fate of the franchise shouldn't bother me as much as the dry spell I'm about to face in regards to this continuity, but I still find it somewhat sad.

I considered to reply to the rest of your post as well, but ultimately chose not disregard it, as I find you unfun to argue with and can do without the petty insults you apparently feel are necessary to accompany your post. So, I am drawing the line here and we can move on to something more interesting than a quote war between two thickheaded posters who won't budge from their already solidified opinion anyways.

Imagine if Episode VII turned out to be made just for the extreme fans like us. It was perfect somehow. We loved it. I think that could possibly translate into not being the perfect match for joe public. Ticket sales for Episode VIII plummet and Episode IX loses half of its funding and thus is very poor or not made at all? I don't think that would ever happen, but Disney is probably considering it. I think Disney is considered concerned about the 99% and not the 1%ers (fans I'm talking about).

Pretty much this. The powers-that-be did not have faith in the Star Wars that existed, and felt that something new was needed. I consider this a dangerous experiment that can easily backfire, and I will not agree that Star Wars was actually in such a bad position that it would have "needed" such a treatment.

But in regards to the "99% thinking", the decision is sound, from their perspective. In other words, Disney's execs and marketing analysts are applying what I would describe as "established industry wisdom" to a franchise that I think would be better served with an insider at the helm.

It's a strange comparison to make, but I just had to think of the Eve Online MMO, which seems to be quite successful in its little corner of the web specifically because it has chosen to embrace its role as a niche product catering to a large number of loyal fans. If it would be more open and accessible - a "99% product" instead of a "1%" one - it would suddenly see itself in competition with a vast range of other games, and probably bomb like a whole lot of other WoW clones.

Needless to say, that doesn't keep the majority of big studios to continue pursuing that silly role of "WoW killer" instead of specializing into something more unique. Because that is "established industry wisdom" too, and when this new Star Wars is meant for the 99%, it will also have to compete with all the other movies and franchises meant for this audience.

And the lowest common denominator has always been a boring recipe.

I guess we'll see next year! For what it's worth, I have a hunch that people who liked the new JJtrek will also like the new JJwars, as he is sure to apply a lot from his earlier movies to this new project (and now I am reminded of that "demo reel" comment from the Honest Trailer ).

They have ceased production of anything new from the Legends (EU). All of the upcoming novels have been cancelled.

Oh yeah, the Sword of the Jedi series - I actually just heard about that. RIP, Jaina.

I'm more miffed at the Legacy comic series being cut short, tho.

It's all THEIR universe. They own it. It doesn't belong to anyone else, legally, or for that matter creatively.

What about emotionally?

It's all THEIR universe. They own it. It doesn't belong to anyone else, legally, or for that matter creatively.

That's not what my Edge of the Empire RPG tells me.

You know, I've had a while to think about the whole thing, and I've figured out what it is that really bothers me. Many of you point out (and rightly so) that the Cinematic and Comic universes of pretty well all superheroes are very similar to what is going on here, with the movie element picking what it likes from the comics and making its own movie. People enjoy the movie, people still read and enjoy the comics, and everyone is happy.

If this was what happened with Star Wars I would be fine. If they said' "The movies and TV shows are one universe, and the books, comics, and games are another (unless explicitly stated otherwise)," I could live with that. I would go to the movies, enjoy them for what they are, and still have a continuing story about that Star Wars I care about to go back and read. However, this is NOT what they did. They have ceased production of anything new from the Legends (EU). All of the upcoming novels have been cancelled. Instead of separating the two and letting them coexist, they are making all future books in THEIR universe. Despite what Dante said, by canceling all of the upcoming EU books they have made their position quite clear: there will only be the Disney universe from this point onward. All of you who enjoyed the EU and wanted more, well, tough.

That is what disappoints me. Hopefully I am wrong and they do continue making the Legends series. More importantly, if they do so, I hope they put the same effort to ensure a contiguous storyline as they will for whatever Disney does in the future.

It's all THEIR universe. They own it. It doesn't belong to anyone else, legally, or for that matter creatively.

That last part is what still bothers me about the whole deal. Say what you will about Lucas but he did give us this creation and continued to feed his imagination into it over these past many years. When I heard about the sale I saw it as Lucas saying a big "F you!" to all the fans who hate on him so much that they have to make a documentary movie about their hate! I imagined Lucas saying, fine if they don't like what I did with Star Wars lets see how they like others "*******" it up.

Don't get me wrong, I am hopeful that these movies will be great and continue to inspire. But don't forget that it was Lucas and Star Wars that changed the world. That influence is incredibly hard to follow up. Will JJ's films be world changing? Who can say. But there is also the part of me that just salivates at the thought of MAWR STAR WARS!!!

Now to go play SWtOR!!!

You obviously didn't read my other post. Lucas is 70. Thank god he did sell it. Can you imagine the gaggle it would have been legally if he died before that happened? It would have been years before it got sorted out and who the hell knows how it would have sorted out. The people with the money in the industry would have been wary about how much they commit to developing stuff and without a doubt if no one could get it together to make a movie, there wouldn't be games, books, or cartoons.

This way it was clean and no questions at all. So unless you are of this 'I don't care if it fades as long as I can cling to my personal EU memories' mindset, the universe requires money to make new product and to keep it going. I want to see it keep going not feed my personal fan belief system.

I think the only one I "riled up" here is you, given the length of your replies

and the emotional investment you seem to have in this debate.

Oh me, oh my....

Boy, do I love me some irony!

I considered to reply to the rest of your post as well

I am really interested in seeing what everybody has to say after Star Wars: Tarkin comes out (11/4/14). Until then...

Star Wars: A New Dawn comes out even sooner. I can't wait for the new stuff to get started!

Everything I've seen and read about the new material sounds a lot more like the original SW I know and love than any of the EU crap of recent years.

Bring on the Jedi hunters and the new rise of the Sith!

The reason the EU has so many loose threads that will now possibly never be wrapped up is because nothing ever happened in it. It was all Mary Sue's running around being all clever so that a zero sum could happen at the end and require more novels to resolve.

I'm a harsh critic of anything but the very earliest EU.

I had read the Jedi Hunters was bad info but that maybe the Empire was still around in some form in the new movies.

I have said this before, all the new movies have to do is have actors that act and it by default will be better than the PT since it's all unknown more or less story wise.

I'm looking forward to new places, names, ships, and all the background that's going to follow. All the things that people thought up post Endor and speculated on won't be speculation anymore. We will have what actually happened after the battle of Endor.

Star Wars: A New Dawn comes out even sooner. I can't wait for the new stuff to get started!

Everything I've seen and read about the new material sounds a lot more like the original SW I know and love than any of the EU crap of recent years.

Bring on the Jedi hunters and the new rise of the Sith!

The reason the EU has so many loose threads that will now possibly never be wrapped up is because nothing ever happened in it. It was all Mary Sue's running around being all clever so that a zero sum could happen at the end and require more novels to resolve.

I'm a harsh critic of anything but the very earliest EU.

I know A New Dawn comes out before hand, but it is just to build up two characters from the Rebels series. With Tarkin we will find out if he truly prefers slippers over socks.

I think the only one I "riled up" here is you, given the length of your replies

Oh my...

Is it wrong that I can never not hear that in his voice. . . .

I am really interested in seeing what everybody has to say after Star Wars: Tarkin comes out.

I read this completely wrong the first time. I read it as, "what everybody has to say after Star Wars: Tarkin Comes Out". I thought what the heck, that's gotta be a joke, then re-read your sentence.

Star Wars: A New Dawn comes out even sooner. I can't wait for the new stuff to get started!

Everything I've seen and read about the new material sounds a lot more like the original SW I know and love than any of the EU crap of recent years.

Bring on the Jedi hunters and the new rise of the Sith!

The reason the EU has so many loose threads that will now possibly never be wrapped up is because nothing ever happened in it. It was all Mary Sue's running around being all clever so that a zero sum could happen at the end and require more novels to resolve.

I'm a harsh critic of anything but the very earliest EU.

And I completely agree with all of this.

The reason the EU has so many loose threads that will now possibly never be wrapped up is because nothing ever happened in it. It was all Mary Sue's running around being all clever so that a zero sum could happen at the end and require more novels to resolve.

Admittedly, I have read maybe 5% or less of all the EU stories that were published, but to say that "nothing ever happened" sounds really uninformed if you consider just how the galaxy looks like at the conclusion of Legacy, as a result of shifts in allegiances and developments of culture that took place over about a century of history told in both novels and comics.

I mean, who would have imagined a government like that to arise post-Endor!

Good to have the "EU Sucks And Should Never Have Been Canon" faction represented as well

I just picked up the Legacy Era Campaign Guide (Saga Edition) from HPB for dirt cheap. I'm liking a lot of what I see in it as far as a RPG setting. IMO, it let's me get more widespread use out of Force-based PCs and NPCs than the Rebellion Era while still having all of the setting elements of that era that I like. I don't care that it's no longer canon at all, but I think that it's too bad that with the new change we're not likely to see any more alternative settings/periods like the Legacy Era.

Admittedly, I have read maybe 5% or less of all the EU stories that were published...

Oh, ffs...

I just picked up the Legacy Era Campaign Guide (Saga Edition) from HPB for dirt cheap. I'm liking a lot of what I see in it as far as a RPG setting. IMO, it let's me get more widespread use out of Force-based PCs and NPCs than the Rebellion Era while still having all of the setting elements of that era that I like. I don't care that it's no longer canon at all, but I think that it's too bad that with the new change we're not likely to see any more alternative settings/periods like the Legacy Era.

Yeah ,Most of my group love the KOTOR guide and while I enjoy it I vastly prefer the Legacy guide. I'm the group's resident starship nerd and I think the Legacy guide did a good job of giving both of the two main sides full fleets and included a number of civilian and independent vessels whereas while the KOTOR guide had a decent array of civilian ships all of the military fleets detailed in it had major holes in their makeup, based solely on their statted vessels. (Neither Sith Navy detailed in the KOTOR Guide is given a statted bomber class and neither are the Mandalorians. Plus Revan's Sith Empire only has one capital ship smaller than a cruiser, and that's a copy of a design that was more than one thousand years old at the time while the post Revan's defection Republic navy lacks any statted warship models larger than a light cruiser, except possibly a handful of command ships almost ten times the size of the Hammerhead class cruiser.

It sucks that Legacy material will almost certainly never appear in FFG's system.

This is some interesting news.

This is some interesting news.

That's awesome. It also suggests future writers have been given the ability to use the EU as a source which I think is encouraging to even those that aren't EU fans.

This is some interesting news.

That's awesome. It also suggests future writers have been given the ability to use the EU as a source which I think is encouraging to even those that aren't EU fans.

But I believe it was established a while ago that the EU, while unceremoniously hacked off, was going to be harvested for parts Frankenstein's monster style. If it fits, they'll add it in.

I think the only one I "riled up" here is you, given the length of your replies

Oh my...

and the emotional investment you seem to have in this debate.

Oh me, oh my....

Boy, do I love me some irony!

I considered to reply to the rest of your post as well

sure you did...

I do love to read a thread filled with reasoned friendly and supported argument.